Driving Under the Influence of Stupidity.
Blog by Sean Gehon, Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Fame can be the gateway to the American dream. Becoming a celebrity can often give you many opportunities that you wouldn’t have under normal circumstances. Having more money than you know what to do with, an irregular working schedule and a lot of free time and attention can really start to drive a person mental. Whether they’re out partying hard, or working hard in order to party hard, the celebrities are getting out of control. If some of your favourite famous friends aren’t checking into rehab, they’re getting pulled over for driving under the influence.
The latest famous face getting pulled over for a suspected DUI is non other than former Trading Spaces and current Extreme Makeover: Home Edition carpenter Ty Pennington. Now Ty Pennington is certainly no A-List celebrity or even someone who goes out partying often, or at least nobody talks about it, but he has joined the most popular group of stars today, the DUI club. It seems that celebrities have nothing better to do than to attempt keeping their name in the papers.
Stars like Paris Hilton, Eve and Ty are not alone when they get in trouble for drinking and driving, or doing other things and driving. Personally, I don’t understand. The average singer, actor, director, or socialite probably makes a significant amount of money doing whatever it is we love them for. I’ve taken my fair share of cab rides in my day, and the most money I’ve ever spent on a cab was approximately sixty dollars. Granted, that’s a lot of money for a cab ride, but I don’t make nearly as much money as Paris, Ty, or Eve. Is it too much to ask that a celebrity spend their money to protect their lives and those of everyone else on the road?
Often I’ve found myself speaking out about the cause of celebrities to do the right thing, be good role models, and take responsibility for their actions. Today I found myself questioning the parents of celebrities. I know as I grew up my parents did their best to make sure that I had a stable head on my shoulders, a good sense of the world around me, and most importantly respect for other people. Famous people often have an air of importance and self righteousness about them. Is it fair to let a famous person think so highly of themselves that they’re putting my life at risk? Certainly regular people like you or I have the ability to drive drunk, but I at least choose not to partake in such activities. What I would love to know is who gave these people the right to think for even half a second that it was okay to step behind a car and put my life at risk because they were to cheap to spend money on a cab, or to designate a driver for the evening.
Life is all about the decisions you make and the consequences of their actions. I feel no pity for the recent gang of celebrities getting in trouble for their negative behaviour and inconsiderate attitudes. As far as Paris Hilton, Ty Pennington and Eve are concerned, I truly hope they get what they deserve. A drunk driver puts more at stake than their own lives and their own careers, they’re choosing to take a gamble on the people around them. Perhaps this latest fad of DUIs is just another grab for attention, a way for people like Eve or Ty who aren’t regularly in the tabloids, to get people talking. If in fact that is the case, it really makes me feel sad for the world we live in. Life is too short to put your career above your life and sense of well being. We’re all people living on the same planet, can’t we at least try to look out for each other and make the world a better place?
Sean (Sometimes, I think I sound like my mother…)
